It stands for: yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi (no climax, no point, and no meaning).

Yaoi first appeared in the 1970s and sharply contrasted from the typical shojo focus on emotions and personal development. Yaoi stories deal with sexuality and violent emotions such as strong loneliness. Yaoi is different from more traditional shojo storylines since it is focused on boys seeking love with each other as opposed to a girl seeking that of a boy.

Yaoi is focused on male homosexual relationships however, it isn’t targeted toward a homosexual audience. Shojo is categorized by the primary audience: women and girls.

Yaoi, also known as Boy’s Love or 801, is an offshoot of shojo manga.